JP2006236813A - Vehicular lamp - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular lamp allowing its vertical height to be reduced while keeping a light distribution characteristic of predetermined luminance by a simple structure and capable of presenting a novel appearance. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicular lamp 10 is so structured as to include: a lamp unit 11 having a predetermined light distribution characteristic; a first reflecting mirror 12 slantingly extending from one side in the vehicle width direction to the side opposite to it toward the front side above an optical axis of the lamp unit so as to slightly slantingly reflect partial light emitted from the upper side to the front side out of light from the lamp unit on the front side in the optical axis direction of the lamp unit; and a second reflecting mirror 13 arranged nearly in parallel with the first reflecting mirror and below the first reflecting mirror for generally horizontally reflecting the light from the first reflecting mirror to the front side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicular lamp used as various lamps such as a headlamp and a fog lamp of an automobile.

  Conventionally, such an automobile headlamp is configured as shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 10, a headlamp 1 is a projector-type automobile headlamp, and includes a bulb 2 as a light source, a reflecting surface 3 that reflects light from the bulb 2 forward, and a bulb 2 or A projection lens 4 for converging light from the reflecting surface 3, a shutter 5 for forming a cutoff disposed in the optical path from the bulb 2 to the projection lens 4, and an optical path in front of the projection lens 4. And an outer lens cover 6.

  The reflection surface 3 is composed of, for example, a compound ellipsoid such as a spheroid, and has a first focal point F1 in the vicinity of the bulb 2 so that its long axis is located along the optical axis of the bulb 2. Has been placed.

The projection lens 4 is a convex lens, and is arranged so that the focal point on the bulb 2 side is located near the second focal position F2 of the reflecting surface 3.
The shutter 5 is disposed in the vicinity of the position where the second focal point of the reflecting surface 3 and the focal point on the bulb 2 side of the projection lens 4 overlap.
Further, the outer lens cover 6 is made of, for example, a transparent resin material, and the surface is formed in an arbitrary shape as a design surface.

According to the headlamp 1 having such a configuration, the light emitted from the bulb 2 is reflected directly or by the reflecting surface 3 and enters the projection lens 4, and is converged by the projection lens 4. Irradiation is directed forward through the lens cover 6.
At that time, a part of the light incident on the projection lens 4 is blocked by the shutter 5, so that a desired light distribution characteristic (an irradiation distance is shortened on the oncoming lane side so as not to give a dazzling light to the oncoming vehicle) 11) is obtained, and a so-called passing beam is formed.

On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a projector-type headlamp having a configuration in which a linear prism cut is provided on an outer lens cover so as to cross an incident area of light transmitted through a projection lens.
According to this configuration, part of the light transmitted through the projection lens is incident on the prism cut of the outer lens cover and is refracted upward by the outer lens cover, so that the above-described cutoff line is directed upward. Light can be irradiated. Therefore, the headlamp disclosed in Patent Document 1 can easily visually recognize a road sign or the like installed above the horizontal position, for example.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-66804

However, in the headlamp 1 having the above-described configuration, the light emitting surface size can be reduced by converging the light by the projection lens 4, and the projection lens 4 can be used to obtain the brightness necessary for the current headlamp. For example, a convex lens having a diameter of about 60 mm is used.
The design surface of the outer lens cover 6 is formed larger than the diameter of the projection lens 4 so that the light transmitted through the projection lens 4 can be effectively irradiated forward without being blocked.

  In addition, for example, in a headlamp in which light distribution control is performed by a reflector having a free-form surface of a paraboloid system, in order to obtain the necessary luminance as the headlamp, the light emitting surface size of the reflector is also used. However, a vertical height of about 80 mm is required.

  On the other hand, in the headlamp according to Patent Document 1, a part of light is irradiated upward by a prism cut provided on the outer lens cover, and the size of the projection lens 4 and the outer lens cover is large. In this regard, there is no difference from the case of the headlamp 1 described above.

By the way, in recent years, from the viewpoint of aerodynamic characteristics and design, the body of an automobile often employs a so-called wraparound shape in which the left and right corners of the front part of the vehicle body are obliquely cut and rounded in a plan view. It is like that.
Furthermore, with respect to the front part of the vehicle body having such a shape, the headlamps provided near the left and right corners of the front part of the vehicle body are required to have a narrow design such that the vertical height is less than 60 mm, for example. ing.

  However, as described above, in the current headlamp, in order to obtain a light distribution characteristic with a luminance necessary for the headlamp, a height of 60 mm or more is necessary. If it is less, the light emitting surface becomes smaller, so that the required luminance cannot be obtained, and the light source and reflecting surface constituting the lamp unit are arranged rearward from the outer lens cover by the above-mentioned design with wraparound. Therefore, the light distribution characteristic near the lower edge, that is, the luminance for irradiating the road surface is lowered.

  In addition, a new appearance is required for the appearance of the headlamp, but changes in the light-emitting surface will affect the light distribution characteristics, so conventionally the shape of the decorative cover inside the lamp such as a so-called extension has been used. The change was made by changing.

  In view of the above, the present invention provides a vehicular lamp having a configuration that takes into account the appearance of the vehicle while reducing the vertical height while maintaining a light distribution characteristic of a predetermined luminance with a simple configuration. The purpose is that. Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular lamp that has a novel appearance when mounted on a vehicle.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the above object is achieved by a lamp unit including a light source and an optical member including a reflection surface that irradiates light from the light source with a predetermined light distribution characteristic toward the front. In the front of the lamp unit in the optical axis direction, a part of the light emitted from the lamp unit forward from the upper side is slightly laterally and downwardly, preferably about 1 to 30 degrees. A first reflecting mirror extending obliquely from one side to the other side in the vehicle width direction toward the front, preferably at about 45 degrees, so as to be reflected at an angle, Arranged substantially parallel to the reflection mirror, preferably at an angle of about 45 degrees and inclined upward from about 1 degree to 30 degrees and below the first reflection mirror, the light from the first reflection mirror is forwarded Second anti-reflecting almost horizontally towards Characterized in that it includes a mirror, a by vehicle lamp is achieved.

  In the vehicular lamp according to the present invention, preferably, the first reflection mirror is disposed in an upper half area from the optical axis with respect to the light emitting surface of the lamp unit, and the second reflection mirror is It arrange | positions in the area | region of the lower half from an optical axis with respect to the light emission surface of a lamp unit.

  In the vehicular lamp according to the present invention, preferably, the first reflection mirror and the second reflection mirror are a plane mirror or a convex or concave mirror having a large curvature radius, respectively.

  In the vehicle lamp according to the present invention, preferably, a part of the light emitted from the lower side of the light from the lamp unit in the front of the lamp unit in the direction of the optical axis is sideways in the vehicle width direction. A third reflecting mirror extending obliquely from the other side in the vehicle width direction toward the front side and below the optical axis so as to be reflected slightly inclined upward, and the third reflecting mirror And a fourth reflecting mirror disposed substantially parallel to the upper side of the third reflecting mirror and reflecting light from the third reflecting mirror substantially horizontally toward the front.

  In the vehicular lamp according to the present invention, preferably, the third reflecting mirror and the fourth reflecting mirror are rotationally symmetric with respect to the optical axis of the lamp unit with the first reflecting mirror and the second reflecting mirror, respectively. Has been placed.

  In the vehicular lamp according to the present invention, preferably, the first reflecting mirror and the fourth reflecting mirror are arranged in an upper third region with respect to the light emitting surface of the lamp unit, and the second The third reflection mirror and the third reflection mirror are disposed in the lower third region with respect to the light emitting surface of the lamp unit.

  In the vehicular lamp according to the present invention, preferably, the third reflecting mirror and the fourth reflecting mirror are respectively a plane mirror, a convex surface or a concave surface mirror having a large curvature radius.

  The vehicular lamp according to the present invention preferably includes an auxiliary lamp unit that irradiates light forward and behind the first or third reflecting mirror and above the second or fourth reflecting mirror. ing.

According to the above configuration, the light from the lamp unit emitted forward from the light source and given a predetermined light distribution characteristic by the optical member excludes a part of the upper light incident on the first reflecting mirror. Then, the light travels forward as it is and is irradiated with a predetermined light distribution pattern based on the light distribution characteristics.
On the other hand, of the light from the lamp unit, a part of the light on the upper side is reflected to the first reflecting mirror in the vehicle width direction side (that is, the vehicle width direction inner side) and slightly downward. Then, the light enters the second reflecting mirror. Then, the light incident on the second reflecting mirror is reflected almost horizontally toward the front by the second reflecting mirror.

Thereby, a part of the light above the light emitting surface of the lamp unit is forwardly reflected from the same height as the lower region of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit by being reflected twice by the first reflecting mirror and the second reflecting mirror. Irradiated towards.
Therefore, the height of the light that is actually irradiated forward relative to the height of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit is reduced by the amount reflected by the first reflecting mirror, so-called narrow width. Thus, a vehicular lamp having the light emitting surface is obtained.

  In this case, all the light emitted from the lamp unit is irradiated forward, and a reflection loss due to the reflectance of the first and second reflecting mirrors is generated, but only one above the lamp unit. Compared with the case where the light of the portion is blocked, the light extraction efficiency from the lamp unit can be greatly increased, and a sufficient light distribution characteristic can be obtained.

In addition, since the first reflection mirror and the second reflection mirror are arranged obliquely from one side to the other side toward the front with respect to the lamp unit, it is reflected by the first reflection mirror and the second reflection mirror. The emitted light is moved from the lamp unit to the other side, that is, the inside in the vehicle width direction.
Therefore, even in the case of a so-called wraparound vehicle body design at the left and right corners of the front of the vehicle body, the lamp unit can be brought close to the vicinity of the left and right corners (or the outer lens cover) of the front of the vehicle body with wraparound. . As a result, light emitted downward from the lamp unit is not blocked by the vehicle body or the outer lens cover, and light with sufficient luminance can be emitted toward the road surface.

  Furthermore, since the first reflection mirror and the second reflection mirror can be visually recognized from the outside during non-lighting, such as in the daytime, the shape of the mirror surface of the second reflection mirror on which the first reflection mirror overlaps However, the image looks like a sword, for example, and a novel appearance can be provided.

  The first reflecting mirror is disposed in an upper half area from the optical axis with respect to the light emitting surface of the lamp unit, and the second reflecting mirror is disposed from the optical axis with respect to the light emitting surface of the lamp unit. In the case of being arranged in the lower half area, the light emission surface of the lower half of the lamp unit is obtained by the reflection of light by the first and second reflecting mirrors, and the narrower width is obtained. Thus, a vehicular lamp having a light emitting surface can be realized.

  When the first reflection mirror and the second reflection mirror are respectively a plane mirror or a convex or concave mirror having a large curvature radius, the light distribution characteristics to which the lamp unit is provided are the first reflection mirror and There is no or almost no damage caused by the second reflection by the second reflecting mirror, and light is emitted forward with substantially the light distribution characteristics of the lamp unit.

Further, at the front of the lamp unit in the optical axis direction, the lower part of the light from the lamp unit is reflected below the optical axis so as to reflect a part of the lower light sideways and slightly inclined upward. And a third reflecting mirror extending obliquely from one side to the opposite side to the opposite side, and substantially parallel to the third reflecting mirror and above the optical axis of the lamp unit, And a fourth reflecting mirror that reflects light substantially horizontally toward the front from the lamp unit in the same manner as in the first and second reflecting mirrors. A part of the lower light is reflected sideways and slightly upward by the third reflecting mirror and then enters the fourth reflecting mirror. Then, the light incident on the fourth reflecting mirror is reflected almost horizontally by the fourth reflecting mirror toward the front.
Thereby, a part of the light above and below the light emitting surface of the lamp unit is reflected twice by the first and third reflecting mirrors and the second and fourth reflecting mirrors, thereby causing the first and third mirrors to reflect the light. Irradiated forward from the central height between the mirrors. Therefore, the height of the light that is actually emitted forward relative to the height of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit is reduced by the amount reflected by the first reflecting mirror and the third reflecting mirror. Thus, a vehicular lamp having a so-called narrow light emitting surface is obtained.

  The third reflecting mirror and the fourth reflecting mirror are respectively disposed in rotational symmetry with respect to the optical axis of the lamp unit and the first reflecting mirror and the second reflecting mirror, respectively, preferably the first reflecting mirror A reflecting mirror and a fourth reflecting mirror are arranged in an upper third region with respect to the light emitting surface of the lamp unit, and the second reflecting mirror and the third reflecting mirror are arranged on the lamp unit. In the case where it is arranged in the lower third region with respect to the light emitting surface, the light reflected by each reflecting mirror is moved forward in the central third height region of the lamp unit. The emission position is moved, and the light emitting surface having a vertical width of 1/3 as a whole is obtained, and a vehicular lamp having a narrow light emitting surface is obtained.

  When the third reflection mirror and the fourth reflection mirror are respectively a plane mirror, or a convex or concave mirror having a large radius of curvature, the light distribution characteristics provided with the lamp unit are the third reflection mirror and There is no or almost no damage caused by the second reflection by the fourth reflection mirror, and light is emitted forward with substantially the light distribution characteristics of the lamp unit.

  When an auxiliary lamp unit that irradiates light forward is provided behind the first or third reflecting mirror and above the second or fourth reflecting mirror, the auxiliary lamp unit The light emitted forward is incident on the first reflection mirror or the third reflection mirror and diffusely reflected, and indirectly illuminates the entire second reflection mirror. As a result, the vehicle lamp as a whole is rendered with a textured appearance by illumination by indirect illumination by the second reflecting mirror.

Thus, according to the present invention, a part of the light above or below the light emitting surface of the lamp unit is reflected twice by the first and second reflecting mirrors or the third and fourth reflecting mirrors. The light is irradiated from the same height as the remaining area of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit.
Therefore, the height of the light actually irradiated forward is reduced by the amount reflected by the first reflecting mirror or the third reflecting mirror, compared with the height of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit. Thus, a vehicular lamp having a so-called narrow light emitting surface is obtained, and the light reflected by the first reflecting mirror or the third reflecting mirror is respectively reflected by the second reflecting mirror or the fourth reflecting mirror. Therefore, all the light from the entire light emitting surface of the lamp unit is used except for the reflection loss based on the reflectance of the reflecting mirror.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
The embodiments described below are preferable specific examples of the present invention, and thus various technically preferable limitations are given. However, the scope of the present invention particularly limits the present invention in the following description. As long as there is no description of the effect, it is not restricted to these aspects.

1 to 3 show the configuration of a first embodiment of a vehicular lamp according to the present invention.
1 to 3, a vehicular lamp 10 is a headlamp on the left side in the traveling direction of an automobile, and includes a lamp unit 11, a first reflecting mirror 12, a second reflecting mirror 13, and an auxiliary lamp. And a lamp unit 14.

  The lamp unit 11 is a projector type lamp unit, and includes a bulb 11a as a light source, a reflection surface 11b that reflects light from the bulb 11a forward, and light from the bulb 11a or the reflection surface 11b. The projection lens 11c to be focused and a shutter 11d for forming a cut-off disposed in the optical path from the bulb 11a to the projection lens 11c, and its light emitting surface is selected to have a diameter of 60 mm.

  The bulb 11a is a bulb generally used for an automobile headlamp or an auxiliary headlamp. For example, a bulb such as an incandescent bulb, a halogen bulb, a halogen bulb with an infrared reflection film, a metal halide lamp, or the like is used. Used, fixed and held by the socket, and supplied with power.

  The reflection surface 11b is formed in a concave shape toward the front so as to reflect the light from the bulb 11 forward, for example, a complex ellipsoid such as a spheroid, and the first near the bulb 11a. And a long axis thereof is disposed along the optical axis of the bulb 11a.

  The projection lens 11c is a convex lens, and is disposed so that the focal point on the bulb 11a side is located near the second focal position F2 of the reflecting surface 11b. The shutter 11d is disposed near the position where the second focal point of the reflecting surface 11c and the focal point on the bulb 11a side of the projection lens 11c overlap.

The first reflecting mirror 12 is composed of, for example, a plane mirror or a convex or concave mirror having a large curvature, and the reflecting surface faces rearward and faces the light emitting surface of the lamp unit 11.
The first reflecting mirror 12 is forward of the lamp unit 11 in the optical axis direction, upward from the optical axis O, and forward from one side (that is, inward in the vehicle width direction, right side in FIG. 1). The lamp unit 11 is disposed so as to face the upper half of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit 11 obliquely on the opposite side, for example, at an angle of about 45 degrees and slightly inclined downward, for example, 1 to 30 degrees.

The second reflection mirror 13 is composed of, for example, a plane mirror or a convex or concave mirror having a large curvature, and the reflection surface faces forward and faces the reflection surface of the first reflection mirror 12. .
The second reflection mirror 13 is located in front of the lamp unit 11 and below the optical axis O, in parallel with the first reflection mirror 12, that is, in the same manner as the first reflection mirror 12. From one side to the front, incline from one side in the vehicle width direction (right side in FIG. 1) to the opposite side, for example, at an angle of about 45 degrees and slightly upward, for example, from 1 to 30 degrees, The lamp unit 11 is disposed corresponding to the lower half of the light emitting surface.

As shown in FIG. 4, the auxiliary lamp unit 14 includes a bulb 14a as a light source and a concave reflecting surface 14b that diffuses and reflects light from the bulb 14a forward.
The auxiliary lamp unit 14 is disposed behind the first reflecting mirror 12 and above the second reflecting mirror 13 with respect to the optical axis O direction of the lamp unit 11.
Thereby, the light emitted from the bulb 14a of the auxiliary lamp unit 14 is diffused and reflected by the reflecting surface 14b, enters the reflecting surface of the first reflecting mirror 12, and is reflected by the first reflecting mirror 12. The second reflection mirror 13 as a whole is indirectly illuminated.

The vehicular lamp 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above, and the light emitted from the bulb 11a of the lamp unit 11 is incident on the projection lens 11c directly or after being reflected by the reflecting surface 11b. The light is focused forward by being focused by the projection lens 11c.
At this time, a part of the light incident on the projection lens 11c is blocked by the shutter 11d, so that a desired light distribution characteristic that shortens the irradiation distance on the oncoming lane side so as not to give a dazzling light to the oncoming vehicle. As a result, a so-called passing beam is formed.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the vehicular headlamp 10 as seen from the front direction (direction facing the irradiation direction). In this way, the light B imparted with the light distribution characteristic emitted from the lamp unit 11 is irradiated forward as it is in the lower half region from the optical axis O.
On the other hand, of the light emitted from the lamp unit 11, the light A1 in the upper half region from the optical axis O is reflected to the one side and slightly downward at the predetermined position a1 of the first reflecting mirror 12. It becomes the light A2 that travels toward the second reflecting mirror 13.
The light A2 that has entered the predetermined position a2 of the second reflecting mirror 13 becomes light A3 that is reflected almost horizontally toward the front by the second reflecting mirror 13, and is irradiated forward. The

  In this case, the light in the upper half of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit 11 is reflected by the first reflecting mirror 12 and the second reflecting mirror 13, and thus reaches the height region of the lower half of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit 11. Therefore, the light emitting surface of the vehicular lamp 10 is positioned in the lower half region of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit 11 because the light is emitted forward in the vehicle width direction. Therefore, the vertical width of the light emitting surface of the vehicular lamp 10 is about half of the vertical width of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit 11, and a vehicular lamp having a so-called narrow light emitting surface can be realized.

At that time, a part of the light emitted from the lamp unit 11 is irradiated forward as it is, and the remaining light is reflected twice by the first reflecting mirror 12 and the second reflecting mirror 13, and then the vehicle similarly. The light is irradiated forward by shifting inward in the width direction.
Accordingly, since all the light emitted from the lamp unit 11 is irradiated forward, if the reflectance of the first reflecting mirror 12 and the second reflecting mirror 13 is about 90%, the light emitted from the lamp unit 11 is emitted. The light utilization efficiency of the vehicular lamp 10 with respect to the incident light is 50% (lower half transmitted light) + 50% (upper half reflected light) × 90% (reflectance of the first reflecting mirror) × 90% ( (Reflectivity of the second reflecting mirror) = 90.5%, and a light loss efficiency of about 90% can be obtained only by generating a reflection loss of less than 10%, so that a sufficient light distribution characteristic can be obtained. become.

  Further, since the first mirror 12 and the second mirror 13 are disposed obliquely from the one side in the vehicle width direction (right side in FIG. 1) to the opposite side with respect to the lamp unit 11, the front of the vehicle body Even if the left and right corners of the part have a wraparound shape, the first mirror 12 and the second mirror 13 are placed near the left corner (or the outer lens) of the wraparound front of the vehicle body. Since the light emitted downward is not obstructed by the vehicle body or the outer lens cover, it is possible to irradiate light with sufficient luminance toward the road surface.

As a result of trial manufacture of such a vehicular lamp 10, as shown in FIG. 6, the light distribution evaluation shows that the light distribution characteristic of 93% is 100% when the lamp unit 11 alone (see FIG. 11) is 100%. Obtained.
Further, even when an outer lens cover having a vertical height of 30 mm was disposed in front of the vehicle lamp 10, a light distribution characteristic of about 71% was obtained as shown in FIG.

When the auxiliary lamp unit 14 is turned on, the light emitted from the bulb 14a is diffused and reflected by the reflecting surface 14b, and is incident on the reflecting surface of the first reflecting mirror 12 and reflected. Thus, the entire second reflection mirror 13 is indirectly illuminated.
As a result, the entire vehicular lamp 10 has a texture due to the so-called illumination, combined with the illumination by the so-called position lamp arranged adjacent to the vehicular lamp 10 by the indirect illumination of the second reflecting mirror 13 by the auxiliary lamp unit 14. Appearance can be produced.

  Furthermore, when the lamp unit 11 is not lit, the first reflection mirror 12 and the second reflection mirror 13 can be visually recognized from the outside. At this time, the first reflection mirror 12 with respect to the second reflection mirror 13 is visible. When the two appear to overlap, the shape of the reflecting surface of the second reflecting mirror 13 presents the appearance of an image like a sword, for example, and a novel appearance can be obtained.

8 and 9 show the configuration of the second embodiment of the vehicular lamp according to the present invention.
8 and 9, the vehicular lamp 20 has the same configuration as the vehicular lamp shown in FIG. 1, and therefore the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.
The vehicular lamp 20 is different from the vehicular lamp shown in FIG. 1 in that it further includes a third reflecting mirror 21 and a fourth reflecting mirror 22 and an outer lens cover 23. It has become.

  In this case, the first reflecting mirror 12 is arranged corresponding to the top / bottom width region of the uppermost third by dividing the light emitting surface of the lamp unit 11 in the vertical direction. The second reflecting mirror 13 is arranged corresponding to the central region of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit 11.

  The third mirror 21 and the fourth mirror 22 are formed and arranged rotationally symmetrically with respect to the optical axis O of the lamp unit 11 with respect to the first reflecting mirror 12 and the second reflecting mirror 13, respectively. .

  Further, the outer lens cover 23 is arranged corresponding to a central region divided into three equal parts with respect to the vertical direction of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit 11, and the height thereof is set to the height of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit 11, for example 60 mm. On the other hand, it is selected to be one third, that is, 20 mm.

According to the vehicular lamp 20 having such a configuration, the light emitted from the lamp unit 11 is radiated forward as it is in one third of the central region.
On the other hand, of the light emitted from the lamp unit 11, the light in the upper third and lower third regions is laterally transmitted by the first reflecting mirror 12 and the third reflecting mirror 21, respectively. Then, the light is reflected slightly downward or upward, and proceeds toward the second reflection mirror 13 and the fourth reflection mirror 22.
The light incident on the second reflecting mirror 13 and the fourth reflecting mirror 22 is reflected almost horizontally toward the front by the second reflecting mirror 13 and the fourth reflecting mirror 22, respectively, and irradiated forward. The

In this way, the light emitted from the lamp unit 11 is reflected directly, by twice reflection by the first reflection mirror 12 and the second reflection mirror 13, or by the third reflection mirror 21 and the fourth reflection mirror. By the two reflections by 22, all of the light is emitted through the outer lens cover 24 toward the front in the region of the center third with respect to the vertical direction of the light emitting surface of the lamp unit 11.
As a result, in the same manner as the vehicular lamp 10 shown in FIG. 1, a light emitting surface having a narrow width in the vertical direction can be obtained while maintaining high light utilization efficiency.

  In addition, although the vehicle lamps 10 and 20 in the above-described embodiment are each configured as a headlight on the left side of the automobile, in the case of the headlight on the right side, all may be configured symmetrically. .

  In each of the embodiments described above, the first reflection mirror 12, the second reflection mirror 13, the third reflection mirror 21, and the fourth reflection mirror 22 are each formed as a plane mirror. Alternatively, it may be configured as a concave or convex curved mirror having a radius of curvature (e.g., 100R or more) large enough not to impair the light distribution characteristics of the lamp unit 11, and further form desired light distribution characteristics. Thus, you may be comprised as a concave or convex compound reflective surface provided with arbitrary curvature radii.

  In the above-described embodiment, the lamp unit 11 is configured as a projector-type lamp unit. However, the lamp unit 11 is not limited thereto, and the lamp includes a projection lens or a projection reflection surface that has a desired light distribution characteristic. It is also possible to use units.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the vehicular lamps 10 and 20 are configured as automobile headlamps. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and auxiliary headlamps such as fog lamps, turn lamps, tail lamps, stop lamps, It is apparent that the present invention can be applied to various vehicle lamps such as a back lamp.
In the above description, since the light irradiation direction of the vehicular lamp is assumed to be the front, in the case of the vehicular lamp that emits light toward the rear of the automobile, the front and rear are actually reversed.

  In this way, according to the present invention, an extremely excellent vehicle having a simple configuration and maintaining a light distribution characteristic of a predetermined luminance while reducing the vertical height and exhibiting a novel appearance. A lighting fixture may be provided.

Other embodiments

Note that the vehicular lamp according to the present embodiment can also be realized by the following configuration or any combination thereof.
(1)
A lamp unit comprising: a light source; and an optical member including a reflecting surface that irradiates the light from the light source with a predetermined light distribution characteristic toward the front.
A first reflecting mirror extending obliquely forward in the irradiation direction from near the irradiation surface of the lamp unit and covering a part of the irradiation surface;
A second reflecting mirror disposed substantially parallel to the first reflecting mirror and below the first reflecting mirror;
With
The first reflecting mirror receives a part of the light from the lamp unit, reflects the light in a direction away from the lamp unit from the light receiving position,
The vehicle lamp, wherein the second reflection mirror reflects the light substantially horizontally toward the front.
(2)
The lamp unit is
A reflective surface portion having a compound ellipsoid having a first focal point in the vicinity of the light source and a second focal point in the light irradiation direction;
The vehicular lamp according to (1), wherein the vehicular lamp is a projector-type lamp from the reflection surface portion.
(3)
In the vicinity of the irradiation surface of the lamp unit, a third reflection mirror that extends in an oblique front direction different from the direction in which the first mirror extends from the irradiation direction and covers another portion different from a part of the irradiation surface;
A fourth reflecting mirror disposed substantially parallel to the third reflecting mirror and above the third mirror, and
The third reflecting mirror receives another component different from a part of the light from the lamp unit and reflects the light in a direction away from the lamp unit from the light receiving position;
The vehicular lamp according to (1) or (2), wherein the second reflecting mirror reflects the light substantially horizontally toward the front.

It is a schematic front view which shows the structure of 1st embodiment of the vehicle lamp by this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view along the AA line of the vehicle lamp of FIG. It is a cross-sectional view along the BB line of the vehicle lamp of FIG. It is a cross-sectional view which shows the auxiliary | assistant lamp unit of the vehicle lamp of FIG. It is the perspective view seen from the front direction of the vehicle lamp of FIG. It is a graph which shows the light distribution characteristic of the prototype in the vehicle lamp of FIG. It is a graph which shows the light distribution characteristic when an outer lens cover is mounted | worn with the vehicle lamp of FIG. It is a schematic front view which shows the structure of 2nd embodiment of the vehicle lamp by this invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of the vehicle lamp of FIG. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the structure of an example of the conventional vehicle lamp. It is a graph which shows the light distribution characteristic of the vehicle lamp of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

10, 20 Vehicle lamp 11 Lamp unit 11a Bulb (light source)
11b Reflective surface 11c Projection lens 11d Shutter 12 First reflective mirror 13 Second reflective mirror 14 Auxiliary lamp unit 21 Third reflective mirror 22 Fourth reflective mirror

Claims (10)

A lamp unit comprising: a light source; and an optical member including a reflecting surface that irradiates the light from the light source with a predetermined light distribution characteristic toward the front.
In the front of the lamp unit in the optical axis direction, among the light from the lamp unit, a part of the light emitted forward from the upper side is reflected so as to be slightly inclined downward and laterally in the vehicle width direction. A first reflection mirror extending obliquely from one side to the other side in the vehicle width direction toward the front above the optical axis;
A second reflecting mirror disposed substantially parallel to the first reflecting mirror and below the first reflecting mirror to reflect light from the first reflecting mirror substantially horizontally toward the front;
A vehicular lamp characterized by comprising:   The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the first reflection mirror and the second reflection mirror are disposed at an angle of about 45 degrees with respect to the optical axis.   The first reflecting mirror is disposed at an angle of about 1 to 30 degrees downward, and the second reflecting mirror is disposed at an angle of about 1 to 30 degrees correspondingly. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein the vehicular lamp is provided.   The first reflecting mirror is disposed in an upper half area from the optical axis with respect to the light emitting surface of the lamp unit, and the second reflecting mirror is disposed from the optical axis with respect to the light emitting surface of the lamp unit. The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicular lamp is arranged in a lower half region.   5. The vehicular lamp according to claim 1, wherein each of the first reflection mirror and the second reflection mirror is a plane mirror or a convex or concave mirror having a large curvature radius. In the front of the lamp unit in the optical axis direction, a part of the light emitted from the lamp unit is reflected so as to be slightly inclined upward and laterally in the vehicle width direction. A third reflecting mirror extending obliquely from the other side in the vehicle width direction to the opposite side toward the front under the optical axis;
A fourth reflecting mirror disposed substantially parallel to the third reflecting mirror and above the third reflecting mirror and reflecting light from the third reflecting mirror substantially horizontally toward the front;
The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the vehicular lamp is included.   The third reflection mirror and the fourth reflection mirror are arranged in rotational symmetry with respect to the optical axis of the lamp unit, respectively, with the first reflection mirror and the second reflection mirror, respectively. Item 7. A vehicle lamp according to Item 6.   The first reflecting mirror and the fourth reflecting mirror are arranged in an upper third region with respect to the light emitting surface of the lamp unit, and the second reflecting mirror and the third reflecting mirror are The vehicular lamp according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the vehicular lamp is disposed in a lower third region with respect to a light emitting surface of the lamp unit.   The vehicular lamp according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the third reflection mirror and the fourth reflection mirror are each a flat mirror or a convex or concave mirror having a large curvature radius.   The auxiliary lamp unit for irradiating light forward is provided behind the first or third reflecting mirror and above the second or fourth reflecting mirror. The vehicle lamp according to any one of 1 to 9.

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